G01 X3 M40i Demo for Motor Werks Barrington

For nearly 50 years, Motor Werks has been the cornerstone of luxury automobile retailing in the greater Chicagoland area and beyond. Over the past couple years, Motor Werks has further elevated their already stellar reputation by committing millions to renovate their entire dealership, its staffing, and car wash facility.

In keeping line with offering the very best (and more) for their clients, IND and Motor Werks have officially partnered to help cosmetically enhance select BMW models for the showroom. The launch of the G30 540i M-Sport marked our first effort in this new venture—and, rightfully so, its stay was short-lived on the sales floor—claimed by an enthusiastic buyer who was overwhelmingly enamored by the Black Chrome enhancements mere days after its debut.

For our second project, we were lent a ripe G01 X3 M40i straight from port, one of the most anticipated arrivals from Bavaria until its M-variant hits our shores next year. The new M-Sport derivatives come equipped with satin cosmetics all-around—we opted to appoint our Alpine White canvas with gloss black replacements, adding an unquestionably sporting character to its already handsome form.

As a car fresh to our facility, we took our time to study its evolution in order to become more innately knowledgable about its underpinnings for our clients. This was the first vehicle since the new 7-series that we’ve seen with active front grilles—a clever new feature we’re excited to see trickle down the BMW bloodline. With several hours of hands-on time with the car, we began removing the OE components—front grilles, front “boomerangs”, hood and trunk roundels, emblems, side vents, and mirror caps. Amidst the audible and satisfying clicks of IND cosmetics being fitted to the car, you could catch enthusiastic reactions from our staff—a familiar feeling that this car was going to be something special. In what has come to be known as an IND signature, the front and rear US-spec reflectors were shod with Alpine White veneer for a more Euro-like appearance.

Although the car already made quite the impact, we decided to take it one step further to add a bit more theater to the X3’s interior—a Red start / stop ignition button. It’s a strange thing to admit that amongst all the immersive, customizable technology, the OE ignition button almost gets lost. The pop of red, then, assuredly refocuses the X3’s personality back to exactly what BMW intended—the Ultimate Driving Machine.

With a push of the red button, the X3 came to life. And although it had landed at Motor Werks days before, this journey back to the showroom felt like the homecoming of a different kind—something very special, indeed.

Modification List: